This is a type of medication or substance that slows down your brain and nervous system. Taking it with other CNS depressants can make you too sleepy. CNS depressants include opioids, benzodiazepines, muscle relaxants, medications for sleep, alcohol, and street drugs. Talk to your care team about all the medications, vitamins, and supplements you take. Call emergency services right away if you have slow or shallow breathing, feel dizzy or confused, or have trouble staying awake.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Advise patients to inform their healthcare provider of all medicines they take, including prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins and herbal supplements see Drug Interactions (7).
- Long-term management for anxiety disorders usually includes therapy and other medications, like SSRIs.
- The tablet will dissolve and can be swallowed with saliva.
- If you take Xanax, don’t stop it without talking with your doctor first.
- Xanax can interact with several common medications, resulting in serious side effects.
If you’re concerned about dependence when using Xanax, talk with your medical professional. For more complete information on possible side effects of Xanax, you can talk with your medical professional or pharmacist. They may also be able to recommend tips on how to help prevent and ease side effects. We cover only the immediate-release form of Xanax in this article. If you’d like to learn about Xanax XR, talk with your medical professional or pharmacist.
Conditions
After Xanax became available, a study found that the drug remained effective for treating panic disorder when lowering the dosage. Do not stop taking this medication or reduce your dose without first talking to your care team. If you have taken this medication for a long time or take a high dose, your body may rely on it. Talk to your care team about how long you need to take this medication. When it is time to stop, the dose will be slowly lowered over time to reduce the risk of side effects.
Alprazolam is available in generic form, and you need a prescription from your doctor or other health-care professional to obtain this drug. Opioids are powerful drugs that are also known as opiates or narcotics. They include strong prescription pain relievers, such as hydrocodone (Hysingla ER) and certain illegal drugs.
Xanax And Alcohol
Learn about what Xanax is, how it works and the risks and benefits. Alprazolam and other benzodiazepines act by enhancing the effects of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. GABA is a neurotransmitter (a chemical that nerve cells use to communicate with each other) that inhibits activity in the brain. It is believed that excessive activity in the brain may cause anxiety or other psychiatric disorders. Taking the medication around the same times of day helps keep a steady level of the drug in your body.
Taking XANAX Late In Pregnancy May Cause Your Baby To Have Symptoms Of Sedation And/or Withdrawal Symptoms
Using this medicine during the later pregnancy may cause problems in your newborn baby (eg, sedation or withdrawal symptoms). If you think you have become pregnant while using the medicine, tell your doctor right away. The risk of serious problems such as severe dizziness, sleepiness, trouble breathing, coma, and death may be higher if you drink alcohol while taking alprazolam. People who are aged 65 years or older can be at greater risk for some side effects of alprazolam. Talk to your healthcare provider about your risks if you are in this age group. Alprazolam should not be taken while you are using certain other medicines.
What Should I Know About Storage And Disposal Of This Medication?
To reduce the risk of withdrawal reactions, use a gradual taper to discontinue XANAX or reduce the dosage see Dosage and Administration (2.3), Warnings and Precautions (5.3). Advise both patients and caregivers about the risks of respiratory depression and sedation when XANAX is used with opioids. Advise patients not to drive or operate heavy machinery until the effects of concomitant use with the opioid have been determined see Drug Interactions (7.1). To reduce the risk of withdrawal reactions, use a gradual taper to discontinue XANAX or reduce the dosage. If a patient develops withdrawal reactions, consider pausing the taper or increasing the dosage to the previous tapered dosage level.
Is A Xanax Comedown The Same Thing As Withdrawal?
Prolonged use of this medication during pregnancy can cause temporary withdrawal in a newborn. A special MedGuide will be given to you by the pharmacist with each prescription and refill. Keep taking it unless your care team tells you to stop. Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Avoid Taking Other Drugs That May Cause Sleepiness Or Dizziness
With dependence, your body becomes reliant on a drug to function as usual. If you suddenly stop taking a drug that your body has become dependent on, you could experience side effects known as withdrawal symptoms. Misuse refers to taking a drug for a purpose or in a way that a doctor has not prescribed. People often misuse drugs to produce a pleasurable, calm, or high feeling.
- Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had depression or another mental illness.
- Tolerance to XANAX may develop from continued therapy.
- Off-label drug use is when a drug is prescribed for a purpose other than what the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it for.
- Taking Alprazolam for anxiety can also cause both psychological and physical dependence.
- If they feel serious or life threatening, call 911 or your local emergency number.
If you can become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or are using birth control, it’s important to consider whether Xanax is a safe choice for you. If you have questions about consuming other foods with Xanax, talk with your doctor. Taking Xanax with the herb St. John’s wort may lower the level of Xanax in your body.
A drugs gang produced millions of counterfeit Xanax pills in garden sheds and garages, selling them to customers across the UK and US. Officers executed a warrant at an address in Wednesbury in August 2019 where thousands of counterfeit tablets were in the process of being heat sealed in foil bags. Each press is capable of producing around 10,000 tablets per hour.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION AND INDICATIONS
Examples include Prezista (darunavir) and Noxafil (posaconazole). If you need to take one of these drugs, your doctor will likely have you stop your Xanax treatment with a taper first. This means the drug is released slowly into your body over a period of time. The Clinical Affairs Team at MentalHealth.com is a dedicated group of medical professionals with diverse and extensive clinical experience. For more information, please visit the Editorial Policy.
